Shining the Light: A Practical Guide to Co-Creating Healthy Communities
Isaiah and The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity May 2010
Report Contributors: Jillian Olinger, Research Associate, The Kirwan Institute Michelle Oyakawa, ISAIAH Organizer Sarah Mullins, ISAIAH Chair of Metropolitan Equity Task Force Christy Rogers, Senior Research Associate, The Kirwan Institute Doran Schrantz, ISAIAH Executive Director Jeanne Ayers, ISAIAH Chair of Health Equity Dave Mann, Grassroots Policy Project Graphic design by Craig Ratchford
Photo Credits: City photo: Courtesy of Flickr user bikinisleepshirt (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikinisleepshirt/3429026436/) Congregation photo: Courtesy of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa (http://www.elcsant.org.za)
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How to use this guide Are you… Critiquing a policy or institution? Planning an issue campaign? Looking at whether or not your own organization or group upholds principles of racial equity? Writing a policy? Training leaders to take action for racial and/or economic equity in the public arena? Educating individuals on the role that institutions and policies play in their lives? Wondering about how to address racial and/or economic inequity in your community but don’t know where to start?
What is this guide? This guide is a collection of learnings from ISAIAH leaders and organizers. Through years of hard work aimed at creating transformative change in Minnesota, and through our collaboration with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, we have made breakthroughs in our organizing methodology. We believe that the ideas contained in this document build upon the methodology and collective wisdom of community organizing and movements for social change. Most importantly, the guide provides additions to the existing trainings. This field guide is therefore intended to be a series of navigational tools that organizers and community leaders can use to help in their work for more racially and economically just communities. The concepts found in the following pages can be applied to a wide variety of situations, not limited to what is described above.
A New Way of Thinking, Talking and Acting The tools found within articulate a re-imagination of the work of community organizing in ‗the world as it is.‘ This world is a complex web of ideologies, institutions, and inequitable outcomes across race, class and region. Through our development as an organization, we have created tools that can help to orient individuals and organizations in this often confusing and overwhelming context. This is a guide to a new way of thinking, talking and acting for racial equity in our communities. As such, we hope that this guide will inspire you to work both individually and collectively to understand the values you hold, the questions you need to ask, and the actions you need to take. It is our hope that this guide will re-shape organizing strategies so that the work for transformative change in this world is more effective and more powerful.
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Table of Contents Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 About ISAIAH and The Kirwan Institute, the path we have walked together in developing a new vision for healthy communities, and revealing the choice between the path of crisis or the path to healthy communities in Minnesota.
Section I. Opportunity Stories.................................................................................................................. 6 Articulating stories of opportunity and listening to the stories of others allows community leaders from diverse backgrounds to understand how structures and institutions play a role in every person‘s life and in determining the fortunes of every family.
Section II. Thinking and Talking about Race to Expand Opportunity for All ................................... 9 If race is not being considered in a plan, conversation, or action around equity, then the plan, conversation, or action is incomplete.
Section III. Values and Assumptions ..................................................................................................... 11 Uncovering the values that underlie inequitable outcomes from policies and institutions and identifying alternative values is the key to transformational change.
Section IV. Asking the Right Questions ................................................................................................ 13 We need to ask certain types of questions about policies and institutions to get to the heart of what creates inequities in our communities and what we can do to change this reality. Asking the right questions creates clarity and a path for action.
Section V. How this framework works in action ................................................................................ 19 ISAIAH‘s transformational relationship with the Minnesota Department of Transportation provides an example of this framework in action. The learnings in this document emerged in part from our work transforming MNDOT
Worksheets Helpful tools for you to use in constructing your own strategies
Worksheet A: My Personal Opportunity Story .......................................................................... 8 Worksheet B: Topic Area of Interest ........................................................................................ 26
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Preface Minnesota: The Good Life? For many, Minnesota is a state where the American ―good life‖ has survived; some might even say thrived. Unfortunately, the ―good life‖ in Minnesota, while an alluring narrative, was and is a reality only for some Minnesotans. Many Minnesotans are not able to reach their full potential because they are locked out of opportunities in the political arena, in their schools, in their workplace, and even in terms of their own health, safety, and well-being. When not everyone can thrive and contribute, we are all hurt by these inequities. But these inequities are not natural or inevitable; they are built, and they can be dismantled. As Minnesotans we need to fundamentally realign our public policies if we wish to create a sustainable and prosperous future that provides opportunity for all. The search for sustainability and renewal must be based on a more equitable vision of community.
About ISAIAH and the Kirwan Institute In the spirit of developing this new vision of community, ISAIAH reached out to the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University. ISAIAH is a collection of congregations, working together in the St. Paul, Minneapolis and St. Cloud regions, who have committed themselves to each other in order to build power for a worldview that prioritizes racial and economic justice. ISAIAH‘s values are centered on a vision of community, hope, and God‘s abundance for all people. The Kirwan Institute is a multi-disciplinary research and advocacy organization at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The mission of the Kirwan Institute is to think about, talk about, and act on race – in partnership with people and organizations worldwide -- in order to expand opportunity for all.
ISAIAH and Kirwan’s Path Together Kirwan and ISAIAH are working collaboratively to develop three documents: a report focusing on the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, ―Shining the Light: Revealing Our Choice;‖ a report with a special focus on St. Cloud, ―Shining the Light: Revealing Our Choice for the St. Cloud Region;‖ and this ―field guide‖ for organizers and community leaders. We came together because we both believe that peoples‘ and communities‘ fates are interconnected, not isolated; we both believe that racial and ethnic hierarchies are wrong and must be dismantled; and we are both committed to expanded opportunity for all. At ISAIAH, we felt that our existing organizing and advocacy tools were insufficient to take on the full scope of transformation needed to respond to the multiple layers of crisis in our state. In this collaboration to develop a robust vision of a path to healthy communities, we each have gained a new and deeper appreciation of these shared values, and the transformation possible.
Shining the Light: Revealing Our Choice Kirwan and ISAIAH believe that we can work together to address the crisis in Minnesota, acknowledge the impact race has, and make positive change. In ―Shining the Light: Revealing Our Choice,‖ Kirwan and ISAIAH worked together to understand and acknowledge that Minnesota has been on the ―path to crisis‖ for quite some time. This path was marked by an intentional lack of investment in communities of color, lack of access to the vehicles of opportunity we all need to succeed (like education and wealth building), and growing apart. In contrast to this path, we proposed a new path that turns these old dynamics around.
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These are the three principles we think shape the path to healthy, equitable, livable communities: 1. Restorative investment in the most marginalized communities that prepares for the future of Minnesota 2. Opening access to opportunity, cultivating all human potential 3. Growing together, integrating and connecting communities Targeting restorative investment describes investment directed to those communities most negatively impacted by our current economic recession, those who have borne the brunt of historic policies that favored new, suburban, white communities. Examples of these types of investment include community development, resident capacity building, job training, small and minority business lending, and neighborhood revitalization. The health of the region, and the state, rests upon the health of each of its communities. Our fates are intertwined; we are only as strong as the weakest among us. Opening access to opportunity is defined as affirmatively connecting people to opportunity; for example, opening up housing choices through inclusionary zoning policies, de- concentrating subsidized housing, re-thinking school boundaries, and providing quality, comprehensive public transit that connects more people to opportunity. To cultivate the health of the state, we need to grow opportunity for all our residents. Growing together is defined as building healthy environments for all, and providing newcomers with access to opportunity. An example of this might be building strong coalitions between citysuburb-tribal governments, developing regional master plans, coordinating and integrating housing, transportation, and infrastructure plans. Growing opportunity for all cannot be undertaken in segments or in isolation—we are all in this together, so we must work in communion with each other.
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Section I. Opportunity Stories Karen, St. Paul, MN: “My grandpa owned a business that did very well. When my parents married around World War II, my dad started his father’s business in California. He got a GI loan for housing, worked hard, and built a good business there. Property values in California increased more than 100% and my parents and grandparents made money from their land, housing, and the business. When my grandparents died, I inherited money and passed it on to my sons so they could go to college debt-free. My parents paid for my schooling and I was able to do the same for my kids.” Dianne, Rosemount, MN: "After my parents got divorced, my mom didn't have a car. There was no transportation for my brother and I to get to after school activities, sports, scouts, etc. so we had to drop out of everything. My husband and I worked hard and living in the suburbs provided our kids with a lot of opportunity. Due to a lack of affordable housing, it is doubtful that my kids will be able to return to the community they grew up in to work and live." Tim, St. Louis Park, MN: "I was born to teenage working class parents and raised in St. Paul Minnesota with my 5 younger siblings. Neither of my parents even had a high school education. But education played a huge role in opening up opportunities for me. And so did my [white] race. Being a lawyer has helped to support me and my family through situations that swamp others with fewer opportunities, things like divorce, illness, tax problems and bankruptcy." Cheryl, St. Paul, MN: “When I graduated from college I found it hard to start a career. I was only able to find temporary or part-time jobs. People stereotyped me as a young woman and would not take me seriously. I was turned down for some jobs with Christian organizations because I was a woman. In addition, my mother had cancer and my father had to spend his resources for medical bills, instead of my graduate school. I finally obtained a Stafford loan but couldn’t afford a computer and IT services, fell behind, lost financial aid, dropped out. I still want to go back.” Arline, St. Paul, MN: “When I was 7, my parents started looking for a new place to live on the city’s North side. We toured an apartment that we all liked. The nearest supermarket was only a block away, and my dad had to take only one bus to get to work. My parents told the landlord we wanted to rent it. Shortly after we got home, our phone rang and mom picked it up. It was the landlord from the new apartment. He told my mother he was sorry, but that he had made a mistake, and the apartment wasn’t for rent anymore. Another family, he said, had seen it earlier and he was leasing the apartment to them. My parents were angry, and my sister and I were disappointed. I realized from what mom and dad were saying that the landlord didn’t really want to rent it to us because we were not white."
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How we interpret racial inequities is crucial These are just some of the stories of opportunity people have shared with us through the process of developing the field guide. In ISAIAH, we have been using opportunity stories as a way to educate and move our large base of people of faith into understanding how structural racialization works. There is always a danger of inequities being interpreted through the dominant worldview. In this frame, either people of color are responsible for their position of disadvantage, or any discrimination that takes place is the result of individual racists. One of the challenges in organizing people to work for racial and economic equity is getting people to see racial inequities in a new way, beyond analyses of individuals and power, and through an expanded view of the structural barriers to opportunity. Why are opportunity stories important? We have found that by connecting to their own family histories and life stories, individuals can truly see how their lives have been shaped by the ways in which our communities are built and governed. When people can articulate how doors of opportunity have been opened or closed in their own lives by policies and institutions, it is not a big leap to understand how social structures can affect people of various races differently and create inequities on a wide scale. Understanding structural racialization is one of the first steps on the path to creating healthy communities. This being said, telling opportunity stories is about more than just creating an intellectual understanding of social forces. These stories are real and personal and lead to some painful realizations about the world in which we live. They illuminate the ways we separate ourselves from one another. Opportunity stories show how our society tells some children that they are worthwhile and others that they are worthless. It is this very personal pain and consequent dissatisfaction with the world as it is that moves people to act. Racial Inequities are harmful to all people Sharing these stories with one another is a powerful way to make working for racial justice not about ‗helping other people‘ or about advocating for the interests of just one group of people. Opportunity stories can create an experience that helps individuals from diverse backgrounds understand how structural racialization is deeply harmful to all people. We as a society have often acquiesced to the brokenness of relationships and spirit that deep- seated, on-going racial inequities create. But seeing that racial inequities are built, reinforced and, importantly, challenged by people can show us that something different is possible. We invite you to take a moment and reflect on your own personal story of opportunity by filling out Worksheet A, below.
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Worksheet A: My Personal Story of Opportunity What in my life and my parents’ life opened up and created opportunities for me?
What in my life and my parents’ life has restricted opportunity for me?
How has this impacted me? How has it shaped the story of my life?
How does access to and restriction from opportunity impact my children’s lives?
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Section II. Thinking and Talking about Race to Expand Opportunity for All Opportunities are different across racial, ethnic, gender and class lines These voices from Minnesota reveal different sets of opportunities afforded to people and to their children, and what they are able to make of them. When we dig deeper into people‘s stories we often find that their lives have been meaningfully impacted by the opportunities their parents and grandparents had—if their parents or grandparents owned a home, or owned a business, and were able to pass on some wealth, for example. We realize our parents and grandparents were often afforded different opportunities along racial, ethnic, gender and class lines. Even today, when many discriminatory and overtly racist practices are now illegal, the effects from policies applied to previous generations linger. These exclusions from opportunity, whether intentional or not, have consequences for people and their families, and for our common future. This is why it is important to talk about race and racial equity when we talk about the path we have walked in Minnesota, and the new path we want to forge together. We need to talk about race, racism, and the structural barriers to opportunity We need to acknowledge in constructive dialogue the role that race and racism has played, and continues to play, in creating opportunities for some individuals while denying them for others. We need to be mindful of race when we identify dominant assumptions, define meaningful outcomes, and assign accountability to people and institutions for the decisions they make. It is not only a matter of relating to each other as people and valuing each other, but it is also important for understanding how our institutions and decisions, past and present, impact opportunities for ourselves and others, and how these impacts differ for people in different neighborhoods. A structural racialization view focuses on outcomes, not intent Our traditional way of thinking about race is one where we think of individuals as either racist or not. We do not believe this is an effective way of thinking-- or talking-- about race today. Instead, we want to encourage people to think beyond the individual, and stress looking at outcomes, rather than the intent of people, policies, or practices, to show that race still matters in our country. Such an approach highlights how institutional policies, interactions among institutions, and differences in resource distribution or investment, can produce racially unequal outcomes. This is what we mean by ―structural racialization.‖ Not talking about race locks us into a path of crisis To talk about how race continues to impact outcomes is not easy for many people. Fear and anxiety can sometimes prevent even well-intended advocates for justice from engaging in conversations about race. Conversations about race can be messy, tense, even painful. So instead, we ignore the issue in the hopes that all this talk about race will just go away on its own. Or, we try to substitute class, income, or poverty as a proxy for race and opportunity in this country. But despite the fact that we have made great strides from the days of legalized segregation and overt racial hostility—even electing our first African American president—race continues to be a meaningful social category, and continues to powerfully shape lives in divergent ways. For example, Black men in the US live approximately eleven fewer years than white women.1 We are 1
David Brown. “Life Expectancy Hits Record High in United States.” The Washington Post. June 12, 2008. Accessed May 27, 2010
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talking about a loss of eleven years of life – it is hard to think of a more powerful marker of racialized opportunity. When we fail to acknowledge the powerful role of racial inequities, we lock ourselves into this path of racialized crisis. And in turn, this ensures that we will remain thwarted in our efforts to achieve healthy, livable, equitable communities to which we all have a right. If we do not explicitly name racial inequities and combat them, we can inadvertently reinforce racial and economic disparities. Talk and silence are both forms of action We do have a choice: to continue with the path of crisis marked by scarcity, fear, isolation, and confusion, or to choose a path of health marked by abundance, hope, conversation, and action in communion with each other. Talk is a powerful tool, a form of action. Silence too, is a form of action. Silence leaves assumptions unchallenged, and perpetuates the status quo. This guide will help us learn how to talk about race and racial inequity in ways that are constructive for moving towards a path to healthy communities. Talking is the first step along that path, but it is by no means the only step along that path—charting this new path requires a long term commitment to action. This field guide is intended as a navigational tool to take you through a step-by-step process to think critically about racial inequities, to talk constructively about how to change what perpetuates these racial patterns, and to act courageously in ways that promote racial and economic justice. In other words, this guide offers a new way of thinking, talking, and acting around racial and economic injustice.
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Section III. Values and Assumptions Identifying Values and Assumptions is key Identifying the assumptions and values that undergird the decision-making institutions in our society is imperative. We need to create a world in which people and institutions think, talk, and act in a new way, oriented always toward equity and the common good. Therefore we must always be engaging in a conversation about values and assumptions because it is through transforming dominant values that people of faith will be able to transform society. Values and Assumptions are often hidden These values and assumptions are often so ingrained that we may not be aware of them, or blindly accept them as ―truth.‖ Yet these values underlie the outcomes we see—the policies and processes are merely the means to the end. This is why only changing any given policy or process, without fundamentally reassessing the values and assumptions that underlie it, will only meet with partial success. This is why we need to unmask the path to crisis in order to achieve racial and economic equity. ISAIAH’s Values and Assumptions In ISAIAH, we are people of faith. We speak from a perspective grounded in faith values. In the tradition of the prophets in the Christian faith and those from various religious and cultural backgrounds who have shared a vision of a new world, we want to act powerfully together as a prophetic voice in the public arena. We currently live in a world of racial and economic injustice. The real abundance of the world is only shared by a few. This injustice is upheld by a myth of scarcity. This myth of scarcity builds a world of fear. Because we are afraid we act in isolation, as individuals. Our sense of community erodes and we become even more afraid and more isolated. This perpetuates the myth of scarcity. The world becomes more unjust. We envision a world of racial and economic justice. A world where the abundance of this world is shared by all people, by all creation. We believe that this shared abundance is possible when we are acting as community rather than as isolated individuals. This vision and our faith call us to act out of hope instead of fear.
Dominant Worldview: The world as it is
ISAIAH’s Worldview: The world as it should be
Injustice Scarcity Isolation Fear Consumer
Justice Abundance Community Hope Co-creator
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Some questions to think about:
Where do you see the dominant worldview (fear, isolation, scarcity, consumerism) in your life? In your community? What is most compelling for you in the assumptions and values we are putting forward as people of faith? What is most challenging?
Unpacking the values that can constrain or enhance opportunity for all The values we hold are often in conflict with the dominant values asserted by the institutions that shape and govern our society. These dominant values translate into assumptions that are often unspoken but determine decision-making processes and policies. In order to unmask the path to crisis, then, ISAIAH determined that there was a need to name the values and assumptions that are held by our decision-making institutions and unpack what they mean. Below are some of the values and assumptions of the dominant worldview and some of those held by ISAIAH. Dominant Assumptions and Values The value of people lies in how much and what type of work they do, and how much and what they consume. Because the value of people is tied to their productivity and consumption, the role of the government and its institutions is to protect the individual right to consume and accumulate as much as possible. Market forces will serve as the balance for any possible negative consequences to society.
ISAIAH Assumptions and Values As people of faith, we believe that all people are sacred, that all people are meant by God to have access to dignity and opportunity, that any oppression is a sin and should be rooted out systemically. We are called to act powerfully to eradicate that which undermines the fundamental sacredness of every human being.
Human beings are fundamentally individuals who, in isolation from one another, are in competition with one another for scarce resources. Inequities are the result of individuals who have made the wrong decisions. There is no need for an analysis of access to opportunity.
We believe that the fates of all people are interconnected. We are one body; what negatively affects one part of the body negatively affects the whole body. If people of color and people living in poverty are not afforded the opportunities they need, then our community as a whole is broken and unhealthy.
Racial and economic inequities are inevitable. They are part of the natural order of things
We believe that God created a world of abundance that can provide for everyone. Racial and economic inequities are not natural or inevitable; they are built by human beings and can therefore be dismantled when we work together.
Unmasking the values underlying decisions is crucial We know from our organizing experiences that we need to fundamentally realign the relationships between communities and institutions. The way things are currently arranged is not working for most of us. To achieve change, we need to focus on the values and assumptions that are at the core of our policy- and decision-making processes. To this end, in the next few sections we include questions that aim to unmask the assumptions and values that underlie decisions and decision-making institutions. These questions about assumptions are crucial.
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Section IV. Asking the Right Questions We need to be grounded in our values and start with a set of questions that citizens, organizations and elected officials can use to understand why we can still get unacceptable outcomes, even with good intentions. In order to use our three guiding principles grounded in the values of hope, community, and abundance to make change, we have to know what we are doing now—what is working, what is not working. In order to create new solutions, we need to re-examine the kinds of questions we ask, of whom we ask the questions, and how we understand the problems. These questions are critical for understanding how opportunity is distributed throughout our state. The underlying dynamics of power and opportunity are played out through our policies, processes, and assumptions. Defining Policies, Processes, and Assumptions Policies are the decisions made about how our communities will be built and governed. Processes are the ways in which those decisions are made. And assumptions are the underlying values that shape every process and determine every policy. Often, assumptions are hidden. Critically assessing our policies and processes can help reveal these assumptions. When we challenge assumptions guiding institutions, we reveal new ways of thinking, and new ways of doing things. Asking the right questions is a path to action for change We also need to be proactive and ask the questions about what to do to move forward and make positive change – what do we need to do together to build the lives and neighborhoods we want for our children? The process we suggest for charting a new path is to look at a problem, ask new questions, see the problem in a new light, and generate new solutions. This is a flexible framework that can be adapted to any issue, and most importantly, this framework highlights the interconnections among issues. On the following pages we have listed what we believe are the central questions to begin with when trying to uncover the policies, processes, and assumptions that form the path to crisis.
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The central questions to unmask the path to crisis when looking at policies are:
What are the outcomes? Who benefits? Who is left out?
The central questions to unmask the processes shaping this path are:
Who is at the decision-making table, and who is not? Who has the power at the table? Who is being held accountable and to whom or what are they accountable?
The central questions to unmask the assumptions dictating the path to crisis are:
What values underlie the decision-making process? What is assumed to be true about the world and the role of the institution in the world? What standards of success are being applied at different decision points, and by whom?
To forge a new path to healthy communities, it is not enough to just unmask the policies, processes, and dominant assumptions that propel us down a path of crisis. We have to co-create new values that will then illuminate more equitable policies and processes, and in turn, provide more equitable outcomes. We have to chart a new path. The central questions to help design new policies are:
What outcomes do we want? Who should be targeted to benefit?
The central questions to help develop new processes are:
How should the decision-making table be set, and who should set it? Who should hold decision-makers accountable, and where should this accountability take place?
And lastly, the central questions to define new assumptions are:
What are our values? What would it look like if equity was the starting point for decision-making?
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Application: Understanding the Path to Crisis and Co-Creating Healthy Communities The following figures illustrate a general framework of this dynamic, and how our three principles align. General Application:
How are assumptions, policies and processes racialized?
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What would the path look like with equity at the center of decision-making?
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In order to get to the answers for the core questions outlined previously, these are some examples of additional questions that can prompt the unmasking of the path to crisis and illuminate the path to health.
Policies: Unmasking the Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
Who benefits from this policy?
Who could be benefitting?
How are the benefits distributed among groups? Among places?
How might the benefits be more equitably distributed?
What groups are burdened by this policy? Which places?
How might the burdens be more equitably distributed?
Does this initiative/policy maintain things the way they are now?
Should it? Or should it change things?
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Does this policy provide people with equal rights and opportunities?
If not, what needs to change?
What have the outcomes been?
Were these the intended outcomes?
Are there unintended consequences from the policy?
Is there a way to correct for unintended outcomes? Can we be better positioned to respond to change?
Are policies in different areas impacting the effectiveness of this policy?
Where could policies be coordinated?
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Processes: Unmasking Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
Who is making decisions? How is responsibility for decision-making shared? What mechanisms are in place to ensure the process considers the long-term interests of the state’s growing diverse populations?
How inclusive and empowering is the process, especially for those historically excluded? How connected are the decision-makers to the communities affected—how could responsibility be shared? What structures/mechanisms could ensure that experts and agency staff are “on tap” as resources versus “on-top” as deciders?
What is the implementation process?
Is the implementation process shared, understood? Is it reflective of stakeholder needs and values?
What were the criteria used to make the decision?
Are these the right criteria? Could there be others?
How are outcomes tracked and reported?
Are there ways to improve data collection and transparency? Who is deciding this? Are these outcomes publicly available? Easy to access?
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Assumptions: Unmasking Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
How is opportunity defined? For whom?
How might it be defined to include everyone?
What is a healthy community? For whom?
How might a healthy community be defined?
Is equity a concern in public policy?
How could we better address equity? Are access to opportunity, restorative investment, and growing together main concerns? If not, why not?
What is a successful outcome? For whom?
What could we be measuring?
What is government’s role? Who decides?
What is an effective, participative, and equitable public process?
What are the roles/responsibilities of the institution/organization/office? What are not?
What should the roles/responsibilities include?
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Section V. The Framework in Action: MNDOT Jobs Equity Example In this section we will model a detailed example of how this process of ―unmasking the old path‖ and ―forging a new path‖ was applied to transportation investment and jobs in Minnesota by looking at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT). ISAIAH’s campaign for equity in jobs at MNDOT Since 2005, ISAIAH has been bringing community members and people of faith to a campaign for jobs equity at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT). Some very simple information started our work: people of color have high unemployment rates in Minnesota, MNDOT spends around a half-billion dollars per year building and maintaining Minnesota roads and bridges, and federal law permits .5% of federal highway dollars to be spent on job training for the construction trades. ISAIAH‘s initial request to MNDOT was to create a stakeholder process for utilizing the .5% job training funds. What has unfolded over the last five years has been a revealing of core questions and principles that highlight whether or not everybody has the opportunity to contribute their work, skills and training to the ongoing public investment of our transportation system, and to receive the benefit of these investments. Moving from a transactional relationship to a transformational relationship What started as a policy transaction on spending some federal highway dollars now holds the potential for transformation of how MNDOT prioritizes racial equity in their organizational mission. ISAIAH learned that we could unmask the path to crisis and create a path to healthy communities by asking new questions. In this process, we engaged stakeholders from all over the transportation construction business, Department of Transportation, unions, contractors, training providers, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, and workforce advocates. Unmasking the path to crisis at MNDOT To reveal the path to crisis, we asked who works on MNDOT construction projects, how did they get there, what is their role, who is benefitting from these training investments, and who is missing out? What are the underlying policies, processes, and assumptions that have dictated who wins the contract to build MNDOT construction projects? Does everybody have the opportunity to contribute their work, skills, and training to the public investment, and to receive the benefit of that investment? What do policies and processes at MNDOT reveal about their assumptions, and how they define success? And then we asked how we could change this so that groups and places historically left out of jobs growth are included in the process, and a new path is forged. Categories are a helpful tool, not a rigid framework The example uses one of ISAIAH‘s experiences to help outline questions about policies, processes, and assumptions that both acknowledge the old path of crisis and begin to forge a new path. This example makes clear that these questions are not mutually exclusive. Rather, the ―categorization‖ (i.e. a ―policy‖ question, a ―process‖ question, an ―assumptions‖ question) is simply a helpful way to begin critically thinking about the design and outcomes of our systems and structures. For example, questions posed to unmask the processes behind the path to crisis may also reveal things about our policies and assumptions. The following figures graphically represent some questions we learned to ask that prompted the uncovering of the path to crisis and promote the three principles of the path to health. We came to these questions over time, and now can share them as good practice. This is just an example of
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some questions we asked at a point in time, but this process is iterative—it takes many rounds of questioning and reflection to come to this point. And this is not the ending point--the answers to these questions might require another round of questioning, and so on. The process evolves as our understanding of the dynamics of power in any given issue is deepened.
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The three principles on the path to health are targeting investment, growing together, and opening access to opportunity. Examples of questions that might be useful in exploring transportation issues for each principle follow.
Policies Targeting investment: Public investment in transportation is important, but transportation systems cannot be created in isolation from the communities they will serve. We have to create them intentionally—addressing the specific needs of different communities—for them to work in ways that benefit all residents. Not all public investments in transportation work the way we intend them to— some have unintended consequences (e.g. environmental impacts), others have disproportionately favored some businesses (e.g. trucking industry, car makers), or types of investment (i.e. highway investment over public transportation). But there is another side too-inaction is itself a choice, for instance, choosing to not take affirmative steps towards increasing workforce participation of women and people of color, even though MNDOT officials may be aware of a gender and race imbalance. What policies in the past have had these unintended consequences, and how can we begin to correct those? Unmasking the Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
What percent of total MNDOT investment goes to contractors? What are the gender and race breakdowns of the businesses that receive contracts and subcontracts?
How might the benefits of contracting be more equitably distributed? Could MNDOT collaborate with other agencies to increase minority and small business representation?
Are the minority and disadvantaged business contracting goals met? Meaningful? Who are we benchmarking against?
What should the minority hiring goals be? Could our goals be redefined? Enforced better? Who should we be benchmarking ourselves to?
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May 2010
What, if any, information does MNDOT require before and during the contracting on workforce participation (i.e. people of color and women)? Who does MNDOT report this to?
How should workforce participation be valued and accounted for?
When MNDOT is deciding which projects to do, what criteria are used to rate them (e.g. placement in Transportation Improvement Plan, availability of funds)? How is project success defined?
What criteria should be included? Is equity and improved opportunity a part of the definition of project success?
Processes Growing together: We are growing more diverse as a state. A healthy Minnesota has all residents working in communion towards a shared vision for our future. This requires that we consider the availability of stable, living wage jobs across the state, such as MNDOT construction jobs. When we are growing together, the MNDOT workforce and contracting should reflect participation levels that represent the changing demographics of the state. Unmasking Path to Crisis What are the long- term opportunities for people of color and women in the workforce-- are they able to make careers at MNDOT? For example, do apprentices become journeymen/women?
Co-creating a New Path Who is mentoring people into careers? How can stakeholders work together to expand the career ladder for these groups, and match work capacity with workers?
How are outcomes tracked and reported? Who is deciding this? Are these outcomes publicly available? Are they easy to access? What is the frequency of reporting?
Are there ways to improve data collection and transparency? How would we use more timely data collection to improve outcomes?
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ISAIAH and the Kirwan Institute
May 2010
Assumptions Opening Access to Opportunity: We value equal opportunity, and we want people of color and women to have the ability to access MNDOT construction jobs and turn them into careers. Often, however, women and people of color face barriers to entry and sometimes a hostile work environment. Opening access to these employment opportunities represents not only a pathway to stable employment for these groups, but an investment in the future of our state. Unmasking Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
How does MNDOT view its mission, roles, and responsibilities? What is the primary motivation of MNDOT? What is the standard of "success"?
How should the mission be defined—is jobs equity explicitly stated in the mission, and should it be? What should their standard of success be, and how does equity fit in?
What is the retention rate for different groups? Why do people of color stay on the job, and why do they leave? How long do they typically stay? What does MNDOT do to create construction site work structures that support retention of all workers?
What other agencies/groups could we be working with (i.e. contractors, training programs, and community organizations) to support retention? Can we develop a retention rate goal? How can we use different groups’ input to create work structures that support these groups?
What is “the job”? What are the different labor categories involved in MNDOT projects (electricians, heavy equipment, etc) and what are the points of entry for new people in these jobs? Are the job requirements appropriate? Do they disproportionately impact/exclude certain groups?
What supportive services can be used to increase opportunity for new people in these jobs?
How is compliance defined—as just meeting the minimum standard? Is MNDOT actually in compliance with its targets?
Are the targets meaningful? How can communities hold MNDOT accountable, and ensure compliance that does not just meet the minimum standard? How can we create a culture at MNDOT that values (and rewards) exceeding its own compliance targets?
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ISAIAH and the Kirwan Institute
May 2010
Status of ISAIAH’s MNDOT Campaign In 2010, after asking these questions for five years and holding stakeholders accountable to the answers, we can actually point to ways that the outcomes have started to change. In May 2010, MNDOT committed to the 0.5% funding set-aside, which means $6.2 million for training, retention, and support services, to increase the participation of people of color and women in the construction workforce on MNDOT highway projects in 2010-2014. Many of the questions about measuring and monitoring the participation levels are serving as a foundation for new policies around transparency and accountability of contractors. The stakeholder group that started in 2009 now exists in Minnesota State statute, has a professional facilitator, and produced a commitment by MNDOT Commissioner Thomas Sorel to implement the recommendations developed by this collaborative group.
ISAIAH’s mutually transformative relationship with MNDOT This has happened not because we knew all the questions or all the answers at the start, but because the stakeholders were engaged in asking the questions and held accountable for the consequences of the answers. This process transformed how MNDOT stakeholders thought about, talked about, and acted upon equitable workforce participation in Minnesota transportation projects. The ISAIAH/MNDOT relationship also helped to transform the way ISAIAH leaders and organizers think about how to work for change and do the work of co-creating racially just communities.
This is a framework that can be replicated in other areas of racial and economic injustice. In creating a transformative relationship with MNDOT, we now have a responsibility to continue that relationship and hold MNDOT accountable to whether or not the policy change achieves the desired outcomes. We can change our path.
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Worksheet B: Topic Area of Interest Instructions: Choose an area of interest (i.e. housing, education, etc.) and fill in the blank ―Unmasking the Path to Crisis‖ column with as many questions as you can think of that will help unmask the policies, processes, and assumptions for that issue area. The baseline questions and general columns are provided to help shape your questions, but please be specific to your issue area. Follow the same procedure for the ―Co-creating a New Path‖ column. Feel free to use a separate sheet of paper if more space is needed.
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Policies The critical questions to unmask the policies shaping the path to crisis might include asking what the outcomes are; who benefits, who is left out? Unmasking Path to Crisis Who benefits from this policy?
Co-Creating a New Path Who could be benefiting?
How are the benefits distributed among groups? Among places?
How might the benefits be more equitably distributed?
Who is burdened by this policy? Which places?
How might the burdens be more equitably distributed?
Does this initiative/policy maintain things the way they are now?
Should it? Or should it change things?
Does this policy provide people with equal rights and opportunities?
If not, what needs to change?
What have the outcomes been?
Were these the important outcomes for measuring success?
Were there unintended consequences from the policy (or from the process)?
Is there a way to correct for unintended outcomes?
Are policies in different areas impacting the effectiveness of this policy?
Where could policies be coordinated?
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Issue Area: Policies Unmasking the Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
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ISAIAH and the Kirwan Institute
May 2010
Processes The critical questions to unmask the processes shaping this path include who is at the decisionmaking table, and who is not; who is being held accountable and to whom or what are they accountable; and who has the power? Critical questions to help develop new processes include asking how the decision-making table should be set, and who should set it; who should hold decision-makers accountable, and where should this accountability take place; and what is the right power relationship? Unmasking Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
Who is making decisions? How is responsibility for decision-making shared? What mechanisms are in place to ensure the process considers the long-term interests of the state’s growing diverse populations?
How inclusive and empowering is the process, especially for those historically excluded? How connected are the decision-makers to the communities affected—how could responsibility be shared? What structures/mechanisms could ensure that experts and agency staff are “on tap” as resources versus “on-top” as deciders?
What were the criteria used to make the decision?
Are these the right criteria? Could there be others?
How are outcomes tracked and reported?
Are there ways to improve data collection and transparency? Who is deciding this? Are these outcomes publicly available? Easy to access?
Did the process produce unintended consequences, and how can this be changed?
Can we be better positioned to respond to change?
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Issue Area: Processes Unmasking the Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
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Assumptions The critical questions to unmask the assumptions dictating the path to crisis include what values underlie the decision-making process; and what is assumed to be true? Critical questions to define our new assumptions include what are our values; and what would it look like if equity was the starting point for decision-making? Unmasking Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
How is opportunity defined? For whom?
How might it be defined to include everyone?
What is a healthy community? For whom?
How might a healthy community be defined?
Is equity a concern in public policy?
How could we better address equity?
What is a successful outcome? For whom?
What could we be measuring?
What is government’s role? Who decides?
What is an effective, participative, and equitable public process?
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ISAIAH and the Kirwan Institute
May 2010
Issue Area: Assumptions Unmasking Path to Crisis
Co-creating a New Path
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We would like to recognize the following organizations whose work has been foundational in shaping the work we do and our understanding of organizing:
Gamaliel Foundation Grassroots Policy Project Organizing Apprenticeship Project
